The Twins Have Arrived!

This site was last updated 06/07/07 11:02 PM

They were born at 34 weeks and two days, almost a month early (for twins).  They and Annette are all doing fine.  Please sign the guestbook to let us know you stopped by.  Vitals (including names!) can be found below as well as updates to their condition and some pictures.  Additional pictures can be found in the photo gallery (registration required - so we know who is looking in at our family!).

Birth Statistics:

Alexander Gustav Gregorich AKA "Baby A": Born November 5th 2005 at 5:54am. 4lbs 11oz, 18 inches long.

Aurora Grace Gregorich AKA "Baby B": Born November 5th 2005 at 5:56am. 3lbs 11oz, 16.25 inches long.

Updates:

November 5th: Happy Birthday, Alex & Aurora!  ONE year old today!  It has been an amazing year and your parents are in awe of you and your development every single day.  This past month included your first airplane trip (you did GREAT!), your first trip to California (Palm Springs, Hollywood & Anaheim) and your first visit to Disneyland (on Halloween, no less!).  We celebrated your birthday with about 40 family and friends here at the house, it was so much fun.  To all who have sent their love, wishes and prayers to us over the past year, we are so thankful, and we hope you will continue to watch this page for more news and photos of Alex & Aurora as they grow. 

October 5th:  Where were you 11 months ago today?  Alex & Aurora were just being born, and boy, a lot has changed (and not just diapers, either)! Both of them are crawling, so we've quickly been baby-proofing the house.  They've outgrown almost all of their 12-month size clothes, but thanks to some generous hand-me-downs from friends and gifts from family members, we have quite a supply of the next size up for fall/winter.  These babies will not go naked! (No matter how much they'd like to!)  They continue to vocalize a lot, mostly "dadadada" and "mamamama"---it's just a matter of days until those sounds turn into words.  During breakfast we watch The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and, much to our enjoyment, both babies now clearly recognize Mickey Mouse when he starts the show each morning---big smiles appear!  We've been enjoying the fall sunshine and continuing our walks to the park---both Alex & Aurora like the swing there very much, and they enjoy "meeting" other babies.  Daddy takes them up to the Brier Town Hall at least once a week to see the staff there---always a fun visit!  Mommy took them to the mall on a rainy day walk and was surprised when the staff at the Disney store knew the twins BY NAME----"Hello, is that Alex & Aurora?".  Guess we must be considered "regulars"!  Their favorite toy is still their books, they both love to look at them and touch them and listen to us read.  The favorite books right now are The Bunny Book (from Aunt Susan and Uncle John) and Little Ladybug (from Mommy).  Alex & Aurora are enjoying more and more "real" foods like chicken noodle soup, cheese and ground beef (and an occasional Strawberry Julius when Daddy takes them to the mall for an outing!), but still no more teeth yet---the doctor said the top ones would be coming in soon, so stay tuned!

September 5th:  Here's the report from our 10 month check-up at the doctor, no surprise:  Both babies are incredibly healthy and BIG for their age!  Aurora is in the 97th percentile for girls at 31" long and 26 lbs even; Alex is in the 92nd percentile for boys at 30.5" long and 25 lbs 4 ounces.  Both Aurora and Alex are now crawling now, so LOOK OUT WORLD!!  Aurora took her first crawl after a toy in our Great Room, Alex took his at the library heading for a fun piece of furniture.  Aurora likes to "sing" and laugh and play with toys, Alex tends to read books more or sit and carefully examine his toys and "talk" in this cute little quiet voice (when he's not laughing or squealing!).  Alex also has developed a liking for Aurora's binky---grabs it from her bib and puts it in his own mouth.  We've been swimming 3 times now at the big Mountlake Terrace pool, lots of fun.  The weather is starting to change already, soon it will be fall, so Mommy bought the twins their first pumpkin and drew a jack-o-lantern face on it with TWO TEETH, just like Alex & Aurora have!  Daddy has a big trip to Denver this month for the CEDIA conference, the babies and Mommy decided to stay home.  Our babysitter Dawn leaves us soon to start her senior year at SPU, we will all miss her very much, it's been a wonderful summer.  Jaime is moving back in this month and will be starting school at Lake Wa Tech this fall.  Time sure is flying!

August 5th:  And now we are 9 months old...so many developments happening!  Aurora has her first two teeth on the bottom this month, Alex's are just starting to poke through.  Neither one of them is very fussy, considering, they continue to sleep through the night with rare exceptions.  They both sit up and roll onto their tummys & backs, streeeetching for toys out of reach, starting to enjoy more solid foods like cut-up meat, veggies, crackers, toast, avocados and PLUMS, which are a big hit.  Aurora pulls herself up to her knees in her crib, little dickens!  They really notice each other and steal toys, binkys, etc. from each other.  We went on our first family vacation on  the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria BC with Aunt Susan and Uncle John and had a lot of fun.  We stayed at their condo, stroller'd around town and even watched Daddy fly in to join us on a float plane!  We visited the castle where X-Men 3 was filmed and we swam in our first big swimming pool.  Daddy fed  seals on the dock and Uncle John bought us banana cookies.  Aunt Susan played toys with us and Aurora learned to scoot backwards on her tummy.  Several other highlights this month:  We attended our first Gregorich family picnic and got to have cake (Cousin Dick's birthday) and listen to Uncle Leo play his accordion, which Alex really liked; Mommy & Daddy took us to our first Mariner's baseball game with Grandpa Steve, Grandma Diane and Uncle Seth---we enjoyed the 7th inning stretch (preceded by the 5th inning NAP!).  We got to visit Auntie Barbara & family and met our cousins Megan & Sarah and also Jessica (from Arizona) for the first time, too.  Another highlight of the month was our participation in the Brier "SeaScare" parade---we joined together with 4 other families (all with twins!) and wore "Double Trouble" t-shirts.  It was a lot of fun and we WON the family division prize for being Best in Parade!Summertime is lots of fun, we get to play outside a lot with Mommy, Daddy and with our summertime live-in babysitter, Dawn, who makes funny faces and knows all the good songs! 

July 5th: 8 months old today, wow.  You all told us that the time would go fast, you were not kidding.  We're having so much fun and the days just fly by!  Both babies are sitting up on their own now and both lay on their tummies and pull themselves up on their forearms to look around and play.  Thanks to our friends Kari & Steve and their twins, we were introduced to the Jumperoo toy and bought 2 of them, one for each of the twins.  If you want to know how much they like them, just watch the movie in the Gallery, SO much fun!  The babies got to go to their very first wedding this month, a very special occasion:  Annette's nephew Joe was married on July 8th to Casandra and now they are on their honeymoon trip across the country, headed back to Annapolis.  It was a beautiful wedding and we got to see a lot of our very favorite people, including cousins Judy and Cliff from Saskatchewan who stayed with us for a few days.  Alex & Aurora have new swimsuits and enjoyed wearing them for a "swim" in their blow-up wading pool on our deck---you can see pictures in the Gallery!  They are both getting so big, it's hard even for us to remember just how tiny they were when we brought them home 8 months ago.  Sniff!

June 5th: Happy 7 month birthday, Alex & Aurora!  They are so interactive now, talking and laughing with us, showing definite preferences for certain toys and blankets, really noticing the dogs and each other.  We started cereal and other solid foods this month and it is going really well.  They really like sitting up in their new Fisher Price high chairs (with trays and some toys attached!).  Alex doesn't care much for the fruits and vegetables yet (except maybe sweet potatoes) but anything is fine for Miss Aurora, she is so even keel in every way.  We've moved the play area into the great room (family room off the kitchen) and they are both starting to try and sit up on their own, both have been rolling over.  Alex has really discovered his voice this month and squeals with laughter even louder than his sister!  Annette spent 3 days traveling to Annapolis for her nephew Joe's graduation from the USNA----a wonderful event and trip, but sure did miss Adam, Alex & Aurora. 

May 5th: The twins are now 6 months old and still growing in leaps and bounds.  Both are just over 20 lbs now and very happy, healthy little tikes. Their doctor tells us to just keep doing what we are doing!  They are both still sleeping through the night and usually wake up around 6:30-7am and spend about a half hour "talking" to themselves----or to each other, perhaps?!?  They always have huge smiles for us when we come in to say good morning, it is so much fun!  We go for many walks both with and without the dogs, to the park or to the mall if it is too rainy.  Adam really enjoys his mornings with the babies (in between work calls/emails) and appreciates that not all daddies get to do that.  Annette still has most afternoons-evenings and all day on Wednesdays with them and it is wonderful.  Jaime is with us for another month and then a new babysitter, Dawn, will come to live with us for the summer.  She is a Jr. at SPU and has lots of wonderful experience with twin infants.   We feel really lucky to have such wonderful live-in help, and the twins really benefit from their time spent with these cheerful young women, too. 

April 5th: 5 months already!  The twins are both laughing, vocalizing, holding their heads up, trying to roll themselves over and more.  They have really discovered their hands and fingers but not yet their feet.  Toys and books are lots of fun to look at and touch.  Now that spring is here and cold & flu season is (almost) behind us, we're venturing out a bit more and that is really fun---it feels like it's been a very long winter, although a happy one.  Aurora surpassed her brother by 1 oz at the March 31 weigh-in....17 lbs 4 oz for Alex and 17 lbs 5 oz for Aurora.  Soon the Easter Bunny will come!  We wish everyone a Happy Easter and a wonderful Springtime.  Hope to see you at the park!

March 5th: Happy 4th month birthday!  Aurora has now officially "caught up" to Alex, she is weighing 15lbs 6oz and he is 15lbs 8oz.  Both are above the 50th percentile for regular babies their age, so no more preemie charts at the doctor's office.  They are both very strong in their legs, arms and upper bodies.  Aurora is becoming very vocal, talking & squealing.  Alex just laughs!  They've now had several booster shots and are continuing to sleep through the night for us.  SUCH great babies!  On a sunny day this past weekend, we went on our first stroller ride---just up the driveway to visit our neighbor, but it was lots of fun.  We're all looking forward to more adventures to come! 

February 5th: Alex & Aurora are now 3 months old.  (We'd planned to celebrate with the Seahawks when they won the Superbowl XL, but unfortunately they did not win.  Lots of referee errors---We liked the coach's comments about not realizing that they were playing against the guys in the black and white striped shirts!)  The babies are holding their heads up more and more now and are starting to twist themselves around in their crib---pretty soon it will be time for separate cribs! 

February 1st: Doctor appointment day, check-up and 3rd of 5 Synergist shots (only 2 more to go!).  Babies are soooo cooperative!  Alex now weighs 13 lbs. and Aurora weighs 11.5 lbs.

January 25th: A momentous day, the babies slept through the night for the first time...extra zzzzzzz for the mommy and daddy, too!  Both Alex and Aurora continue to be good eaters and sleepers, although Alex seems to have a little more trouble calming down for naptime than his sister.  They like to stay up and play more during the daytime hours, laying on their play mat looking at toys, listening to and looking at story books with mommy or daddy, riding around in their baby carriers on mommy or daddy or just hanging out sucking a binky and watching the Seahawks head for the Superbowl!  They both are holding their heads up more and more and obviously focusing in on objects and people.  We're starting to get into a regular schedule, just in time for Annette to return to work next week.  Jaime Rief (niece of Annette's sister Sue & brother-in-law John) is now staying with us through the school year to care for the babies during those few hours a week when we are both at work.

January 5th: The twins are now 2 months old! They had their second (of five) Synergist shots yesterday at the doctor's office (to ward of the nasty RSV, a bronchial-like virus) and their new weights are:  Alex 10lbs 2 oz and Aurora 8 lbs 7oz.  She's catching up with her brother! 

December 31st:  Time to ring in the Happy New Year!  (No doubt we'll be awake for a feeding about then...!)  The twins are almost 2 months old now and both are doing just great!  They are awake more and more, enjoy looking around and starting to respond to voices and sounds.  We had a wonderful Christmas. The old year past has been amazing and we can't even imagine what the new year will hold for all of us.  Our love to all of our friends and family and we wish you a 2006 full of health, happiness and fun.  Our next doctor appointment is January 4th, so stay tuned for the official weigh-in! (Although Adam now calls Alex "Spuds" Gregorich, since we are confident that he is weighing in at least as big as a 10-lb sack of potatoes!)

December 21st:  The holiday season is here and we are enjoying it thoroughly (in between feedings!). The tree is up, but not yet decorated.  The gifts are bought, but not yet wrapped.   The cookies are baked, the cards are mailing today, and the stockings ARE hung by the chimney with care, however, all 4 of them!  The babies continue to eat and grow, Aurora is now 6.5 lbs and Alex is over 9lbs---no more preemie diapers or clothes needed here.  We are enjoying reading Christmas cards from friends and family and hearing everyone's reaction to the birth announcement.  If these babies only knew how happy everyone is that they are here!  Now we all just need to be good for 4 more days until Santa comes...

December 2nd:  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving together and also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.  The turkey weighed more than the babies combined!  But they continue to grow---as of our check-up today, Alex is weighing in at 7lbs 6oz and Aurora weighs 5lbs 9-1/2 oz.  We are amazed at their growth and at their budding personalities!

November 21st:  We've had a great first week at home together.  The dogs are adjusting, interested and on guard---they come running whenever they hear "their babies" cry.  Annette's sister Susan spent the weekend helping us and shared some wonderful (if mostly non-sleeping) hours together.  Today was the twins' first official weigh-in appointment at the pediatrician.  Drum roll please:  Alex now weighs in at 6lbs even and Aurora at 4lbs 9oz!  Their doctor says they are both doing just great.

November 14th: Surprise, surprise:  We took Aurora for her first car ride (to the Doctor's office) and when we got back to the hospital the nurse told us that Alexander was going to be discharged after his car seat test!  They are both home for the first time as of tonight, but it is kind of chaotic as we are living in the guest room upstairs for the next two days as they finish the hardwood floors and move our furniture back in.  Aurora's doctor visit went great.  Alex's discharge weight was 5lbs 1oz, Aurora's was 3lbs 14oz.

November 12th: Aurora is no longer a patient. Despite being under 4 pounds she was doing well enough that they discharged her.  Since Alexander is still there and since the floors are being refinished at home, we are keeping her at the hospital with Annette until her brother is discharged.  She has her first car ride on Monday to go to her doctors office in Woodinville.

November 11th: Aurora is no longer on a feeding tube, and Alexander may lose his today or tomorrow.  The nurses call him "Houdini" since no matter how hard they try to keep him from pulling his feeding tube he somehow always manages to do it.  Both the Doctors and nurses can't believe how well they are doing and are hinting that they may be able to come home early next week.

November 10th: Alexander and Aurora have left the ICU and are now in the Special Care Nursery.  They are also back up their birth weights and have been removed from their isolettes and are now sharing a bassinet.  While they still have their feeding tubes, Annette is also breast and bottle feeding them.

November 8th: As of today both Alex and Aurora are off of IV feeding and are now only taking formula or milk through bottle or feeding tube. Annette is getting to hold them both for the first time today.

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Alex snoozing in the ICU.

Alexander Still Snoozing.

A close up of Alexander.

Aurora 20 minutes after arrival in the ICU.

Unlike Alexander she is fidgity.

Mom excited to be seeing the babies soon!

On the way to the ICU from the delivery room.

Hanging out in their room (the cleanest it will be for the next 18 years).

Mom holding both babies for the first time!

Aurora under the UV light soaking up the rays.

Alexander and Aurora in their new hospital bed.

Don't get on my side!

Aurora on her first field trip out of the hospital to her doctors office (before the exam).

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